So yesterdays post about environmental atrocities started to open my eyes a bit. No one seems to care about this specific plight since it's connected to farm animals, although a lot of people are jumping on the green wagon overall, which is great, but to ignore this part makes little sense to me...


The two - environmental degradation and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's aka factory farms) are very closely connected.

I wrote to the EPA yesterday because I heard that CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) might not be subjected to the same standards that all other corporations face in terms of keeping air and water clean. This is something that the fabulous BUSH administration is considering - not making the CAFO's - the BIGGEST contributors to US pollutions - held responsible for all the horrid waste they are letting loose on our environment. These are our backyards, our drinking supplies, etc that are being polluted with animal waste since CAFO's have such a high concentration of animals, thereby animal waste, and nowhere for it to be absorbed safely at the rate it is being produced.

Here's an interesting tidbit for ya:

"EPA is proposing a voluntary option for CAFOs to certify to the permitting authority that they do not discharge or propose to discharge and therefore do not need NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System)permit coverage."

What does that say to you? I got that paragraph from this website.

So basically people, all this waste might be able to bypass the laws that are in place to protect our environment and water supply, the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System). Here is their website where they talk about what they do for us.

Another thing of interest is this little tidbit. The EPA provided 8 million in grant money to help livestock people find a place for all the waste. Here's a paragraph of interest from this website:

"Nationally, there are an estimated 1.3 million farms holding livestock in the United States. Approximately 238,000 of these farms are considered animal feeding operations. These animal feeding operations generate more than 500 million tons of animal waste annually and, as a consequence, continually face the challenge of how best to manage these wastes to minimize adverse impacts on the environment. The grants will assist livestock operations by ensuring that farmers are aware of environmental impacts from their facilities and understand how best to address them."

I just found this looking for statistics on car pollution versus CAFO pollution from this website:

"The problem is that many of these same farmers are scared to use these programs out of fear that USDA and EPA cannot, and will not, keep the information confidential, thus subjecting these farmers and ranchers who are trying to using the tools of good stewardship, vulnerable to crippling litigation. Any effort to regulate livestock feeding operations must have a greater sensitivity to these legitimate concerns. I hope that EPA and USDA will be able to support such efforts to protect farmers and ranchers who are acting in good faith."

AKA these "evil doers" are afraid of the reprecussions if they DO tell the truth. Does that not freak you out? What was the purpose of the grant if the farmers are afraid to use it??? Mind boggling.

Here is a site that kinda gives you an idea:

"The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization has issued a stunning report on global warming. Livestock production is responsible for more climate change gasses than all the motor vehicles in the world. In total, it is responsible for 18 percent of human induced greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a major source of land and water degradation."

And finally, to learn even more about this, check out this out link.


I guess all I am trying to say is that we all need to wake up. This practice is not good for the animals, for us, or the environment. All it is good for is keeping the corporate giants pockets well lined. All of this is happening right under our noses. AND, for all the people trying to be green, if you want to help the environment the most doesn't it make sense to go after the biggest offenders????